


The Right Choice

by Inell



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, HP: EWE, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-08
Updated: 2014-09-08
Packaged: 2018-02-16 16:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2277054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inell/pseuds/Inell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione has to decide the direction to take her relationship with Charlie</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Right Choice

“I told you not to get so involved, Hermione.”

Hermione wipes her tear-stained face with the back of her hand, her eyes not leaving the blazing fire as she says, “This is really the wrong time for ‘I told you so’, Charles.”

“Uh oh. Use of my full name. You _must_ be upset,” Charlie says as he sits on the ground beside her. She glances at him when she notices him tilt his head back so he can look at the dark sky overhead, not wanting him to catch her staring. There is a slight chill in the air, autumn fading into winter, and she wagers they’ll have snow within a month. It’s only her first year in Romania, but she studied the weather before she came so she’d have an idea what to expect. When she notices him starting to move his head, she looks back at the fire. She doesn’t have to see him to know he’s staring at her profile now. 

“Don’t you have something to do?” Hermione asks crossly, trying to do her best to ignore the handsome man lazily reclining beside her. 

“Hermione, you know everything pales in comparison to pestering you,” he scolds playfully. Despite her current heartache, she can feel her lips twitching as she fights to keep from smiling. Sitting up, he dusts off his hands before casually touching her back. “Seriously, this is the first one you’ve lost so I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I didn’t expect to care so much,” she admits softly, leaning to rest her cheek on his shoulder. She has been working at the preserve for nearly six months, primarily focusing on research and experiments to heal the dragons that were injured during the War, but she’s gradually become more involved in various other aspects of their day to day life since arriving. Charlie has taken her under his wing, teaching her, training her, having the patience of a saint when it comes to work even if he’s the most impatient person alive in every other areas of his life. He had warned her not to become too attached when he’d apparently noticed she had her favorites of the dragons who had survived their part in the War, which had ended nearly three years ago. She should have listened but had honestly thought she wouldn’t feel so helpless and lost when one her dragons died. 

“Why don’t we go back to my flat? I’ll make you a cuppa and you can tell me about your research,” he suggests as his fingers gently massage her neck. She’s so tense that it feels really good, and she knows her eyes must be red from crying. “When I lost my first dragon, I felt as if I lost a member of my family. I grabbed my broom and took off, didn’t realize I was crying until I landed. Course, I know now that it’s nothing like losing a family member, but it still hurts. I’d like to help you through it.”

She appreciates his offer, and she’s glad he’s willing to help her deal with this without being smug about having warned her. During the past six months, isolated at the preserve, they’ve become really good friends. She wishes he’d finally see her as Hermione Granger, pretty and intelligent witch instead of Hermione, Ron’s little friend, but that doesn’t seem likely. He flirts with her, of course, but he flirts with everyone, so she doesn’t take it seriously. She just laughs, ruffles his hair, and tells him to stop teasing. Sometimes, she wonders what he’d do if she actually did respond the way she wants to, but it would likely make things awkward and uncomfortable, and she’s here for another couple of years, at least, so that would be too difficult to take the risk of rejection.

“You think a cup of tea is a cure for everything.” She smiles affectionately, sighing as he rubs the muscles in her neck and shoulders. Inhaling deeply, she smells the soothing scent of Charlie: leather, spice, outdoors, and something that was just _him_. Moving closer to his muscular body, she seeks comfort in his familiar embrace. It’s only when her hand accidentally grazes his lower abdomen that she notices how still he’s being. That, in itself, is enough to make her suspicious. Even when they’re having dinner together and discussing work, he’s usually active in some way or another. He likes to keep his hands busy, isn’t fond of being trapped inside if there’s work to be done outside, and she honestly can’t recall him ever being so quiet since she’d met him. 

“I like tea,” he finally says, and she’s surprised to hear huskiness in his voice. Looking up at him, her eyes widen when she catches him staring at her legs where her skirt has ridden up during her moving. The look is not one she has seen often: hungry, needy, passionate. 

Bloody hell, he wants her! 

Quickly hiding her face against his chest, she tries to deal with this unexpected development. She’s fancied Charlie since they’d worked together rebuilding Hogwarts at the end of the War. They’d been stuck on the same assignment together for a week, and it had been the first time they’d really had a conversation. They had talked for hours about so many different things, and she remembers being impressed by how well he could carry on a conversation while also teasing her in a way that felt playful and flirtatious. Things with Ron had still been uncertain, though, so she’d ignored the attraction and interest she’d felt so she could see what happened with Ron, but she hadn’t forgotten.

In fact, it had been Charlie’s description of the preserve, his love and enthusiasm for his job here that had given her the idea to focus on helping the dragons after the Ministry was somewhat stable and she realized she wasn’t sure what direction to go with her life. By then, her relationship with Ron had proven to work much better as friends, and she had welcomed the opportunity to do something productive that also allowed her to escape Britain for a while. The knowledge that she would be working directly with Charlie had not influenced her at all. Okay, maybe a little. 

Unfortunately, when she had arrived, he’d spent three days with her and still called her a bossy brat with an affectionate tone that all the Weasley boys used, convincing her he saw her as a kid sister and nothing more. However, the way he is currently looking at her is not at all brotherly. At least, not in any family she’s familiar with outside of possibly some monarchies in Muggle history books. Hermione’s not entirely sure why she’s thinking about history when Charlie’s beneath her and staring at her legs in a very heated way.

 _What to do…what to do._ If she’d had more time to consider the possibility that his good-natured flirting with her has actually been sincere, she might have developed a plan and been confident of its success. As it is, he’s never given any indication that he sees her, _really_ sees her, so she’s completely lost as to how to proceed. What if she’s wrong? The idea that it’s simply wishful thinking is certainly valid especially considering her current emotional state. He may be simply looking at her legs while thinking of someone else. Some little tart from the nearby village possibly. Scowling at that idea, jealousy spreads through her and she determines then and there to test her theory. 

Turning her head slightly, she blows softly on his neck. This sort of thing is completely unknown to her so she’s trying desperately to recall all the snogging techniques that her former dorm mates had talked about. Her relationship with Ron hadn’t really been that passionate once the dust settled and they’d given it a go, and they’d only tried the one time to have sex, which had resulted in them giggling and ruining the moment and determining they loved each other like best friends but nudity added just made it weird. Charlie is seven years older, much more experienced, and she feels totally inept trying to flirt with him. 

“Are you okay?” he asks after a few moments of her blowing on his neck. He shifts their positions, and she can feel him looking down at her. He probably thinks she’s mental or gone into some odd crazy phase caused by grief.

“I feel better,” she says honestly. Okay, so blowing on his neck isn’t causing any sudden declarations of lust or desire. Before she loses her courage, she leans up and nibbles on his ear. Before she can lick the lobe, he pushes her away.

“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?” He frowns as he looks at her, and she’s too embarrassed to meet his gaze. 

“Nothing,” she mumbles. She can feel her face flaming as she avoids looking at him. “It was a mistake. Just emotional distress. Yes, it is emotional distress. I think I need to go before I do something else stupid.”

“I don’t think so,” he says as he grabs her wrist when she tries to stand, pulling her back across his lap. She glares at him, struggling to get out of his embrace, but he is able to keep her in place with little effort. He grips her chin and forces her to look at him. After studying her face for a moment, he grins suddenly. “You were trying to seduce me!”

“I was doing nothing of the sort, Charles Weasley!” she denies adamantly. 

“So it was purely an accident that my ear ended up in your mouth?” His tone is attempting to be innocent, but there’s a mischievous gleam in his blue eyes as he begins to lazily play with one of her loose curls.

“It could have been,” she points out, frowning in thought as she looks at him. “You were ogling my legs. I thought it might mean you were attracted to me, so I wanted to test my theory.”

“Just a theory?” He’s lost some of his amusement, and he’s starting to frown. “What? You wanted to see how far you could go before I’d snap?”

“Of course not. I wanted to see if you fancied me, too,” she says. “I don’t play silly games, Charlie. I’ve never done anything like this before, but I hoped, for a moment, that you might have finally seen me.”

“You really aren’t as clever as everyone says,” he mutters. “I’ve only been chasing after you since you arrived, Hermione. Out of respect for my baby brother, I didn’t shag you against the castle walls back after the war when I first wanted to, but he had his chance, so now it’s mine. You never respond, though, so I’ve tried keeping it platonic to respect your wishes. I’ve always seen you, you crazy woman.”

“Oh.” She blinks and bites her bottom lip. “You never seemed serious, with the flirting. I didn’t know you meant it. If I had, I’d have chosen not platonic. You really should have just talked to me and given me the choice, Charlie. I’m not good at this type of thing.”

“I can see that. For the record, blowing on my neck just tickles, and my ears aren’t one of the body parts I’d love for you to nibble,” he points out, flashing a cheeky grin. “We’re talking now, aren’t we? And there isn’t any rule about not getting to actually make a choice. We can wait, though, if you want.” The grin fades as he looks at her. “You might have been teasing about the emotional distress, but I know you’ve been through a lot today, and I don’t want any regrets if we do this.”

The fact that he’s actually worried about her emotions and doesn’t want to take advantage of the situation pleases her in ways she can’t even describe. She leans up to press her lips against his, pulling away after the chaste kiss. “I still choose to explore this chemistry between us, Charlie,” she says, moving her hand along his muscular bicep. “I’m not quite ready to be shagged against the wall, but I wouldn’t mind going back to your place for a cuppa and whatever else might happen.”

“That’s the right choice, love, and I’ll happily prove it to you as often as I can.” Charlie smiles. “Tea can wait.” He ducks his head down and kisses her. There’s nothing at all chaste about it. It’s like he’s devouring her, and she feels a spark ignite inside her as she begins to return the kiss, wanting him to feel as aroused and heated as she is from it. He tugs her closer, and she straddles him, feeling proof of how affected he is pressed against her as she shifts into a more comfortable position. 

All they do is kiss, but she loses herself to it, to _him_ , not even thinking as they sit there by the fire and explore each other’s mouths. It’s passionate and exciting, but there’s more to it than just that. There’s emotion and need and want and so many other things that make her hold him tighter and kiss him the way she’s wanted to for months. 

End


End file.
